


Where the Rowan Never Grows

by chaoticTransmissions



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Kylo Ren, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Light Angst, Not Canon Compliant, Possessive Behavior, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-23 03:27:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30049197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticTransmissions/pseuds/chaoticTransmissions
Summary: Orphaned as a child, Rey is left to fend for herself on the harsh desert planet Jakku. She resigns herself to a difficult and unremarkable life. Until a chance encounter with Kylo, a fae as beautiful as he is deadly, complicates things.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Eventually, Rey knew her luck was bound to run out. She just hadn’t expected it to be today.

“What’s your name, girl?” demanded the mottled creature known as Unkar Plutt. He gripped Rey by the collar. She jerked in his grip, but it was pointless. There was no escaping him. Rey wiped desert sand from her face and tried to find a way out of this. She would never win a contest of physical strength. Plutt was massive and frightening. Rey was small for the age of twelve and looked even smaller by comparison to the marketplace that bustled around her. 

“Rey,” she told him, watching the crolute with sharp, tired eyes. He’d caught her trying to steal a gear from his stall and grabbed her before she could make her escape. Rey had managed to get by the past few weeks by picking pockets and stealing food scraps. Recently she’d escalated to grabbing things off market stalls. She had no one to warn her to avoid this stall in particular. No one to tell her beforehand that this was the Junk Boss of Jakku. The most dangerous creature at the Niima outpost. If they had, Rey would have picked someone else to steal from. 

“Rey what?” Unkar demanded, shaking her slightly as if more stolen goods might rattle from her pockets. Rey frowned, one of the few signs of distress she’d shown throughout the encounter. A few weeks ago she would have been trembling with fear. She would have cried out for her parents to save her. Now, Rey had no one but herself to rely on and no tears left to cry. Life alone in the desert had already hardened her. 

“Just Rey,” the girl said. “There is nothing else.”

Unkar finally dropped her, letting her crumble into the dirt. Rey climbed back to her feet, surprised to still be alive. She’d managed to scrape by during her stay alone on this planet but figured her time would run out one way or another. Rey had assumed that getting caught stealing from someone with eyes as cruel as this creature's would be her end. Yet, she was still breathing. 

“Well, just Rey,” Unkar drawled. “With your lack of good sense, it’s lucky the desert hasn’t eaten you yet. Or the Fey.” At the mention of the fey, Rey shuddered. Unkar smiled “I own this outpost, girl. I own this planet. Try and steal from me again…” he nodded to a set of men standing in the shadows of a nearby alley. Their eyes were just as cold as Plutt’s. “And the fey folk’ll be the least of your worries. But I’m a generous man...”

Plutt tossed something at her. Rey realized it was a ration card. “You bring me ship parts and other salvage that interests me, and I’ll keep you alive. Betray me, or trade outside my good graces, however…” he didn’t need to finish that sentence. Rey knew exactly how harsh this desert planet could be, especially for an orphan on the streets. “Now scram, and don’t come back until you have something interesting, Rey the Scavenger.”

\---

Rey had not been born on Jakku, but she knew it was where she would die. 

She remembered little of her homeworld or her parents. Sometimes at night, she saw images of lush, green gardens in her head. She felt the warm soil beneath her feet and the glow of two moons in the sky. She remembered her mother’s dark hair and the smell of her perfume. Sometimes she could hear her father’s laugh on the wind. As she got older, Rey became less sure if these images were memories or simply dreams. She hoped they were true memories-- she had nothing else to hold onto. 

Rey’s family had been traveling to Jakku on business, headed to this very outpost. Her parents were traders, like Plutt, and despite the rumors of the planet being dangerous, money troubles had made the trip a necessity. They thought it would be safer to take Rey with them than leave her behind by herself. Her parents had been so careful. But it wasn’t enough to save them. Their ship had been attacked by thugs, most likely defectors from the Emperor’s legion looking for a quick score. Rey and her mother had fled to the back of the skip. Rey’s father stayed to fight.

“Go, my little one. I love you,” Rey’s mother had whispered into her ear. “Run until you can run no more. I will come for you. Be brave, Rey.” Before Rey could protest, her mother pushed her out of the escape hatch and sealed it shut behind her. So Rey ran. She ran until her feet gave out beneath her, her face hot and damp and her lungs burning. Rey fell into the sand, weeping until the sun came up over the horizon. When she returned to search for her parents, all she found was the picked apart skeleton of their ship and their blood staining the sand.

It was the last time Rey cried. 

Although Rey wasn’t born on Jakku, she adapted to it quickly. If there was one gift her parents had left her, it was a strong spirit. Rey stowed aboard several vessels, making her way to the Niima outpost where her parents had been headed. She had no other family here or anywhere, and no way to contact any of her parents’ friends. Even if she did, they weren’t likely to travel halfway across the universe to rescue her. Which left Rey on her own. She’d managed to survive by stealing food and sleeping in cargo holds before Plutt found her, but without his help she would have likely been dead in a dune somewhere years ago.

Rey hated to admit that fact. She despised Plutt. As magnanimous as he played at being, he had his boot on the necks of half the people in Jakku, including Rey. Although he played at doting on her-- calling her pet names and ‘gifting’ her the small home she currently resided in-- Rey had no delusions about him genuinely caring for her. 

He favored Rey because she was his best scavenger. She was small and flexible enough to climb into shipwrecks other scavengers couldn’t. She was fast and clever enough to avoid any trouble on the road. Most importantly, she kept her head down. But if Rey stepped out of line, he would cut her down just as quickly as anyone else. Rey knew what happened to those who angered the Junk Boss and had no desire to meet the same fate.

Childhood had been over for Rey since the day her parents died. Instead of mourning what could never be, Rey set about carving out a life for herself. Over the years, she learned the names and purposes of the parts in the ships she scavenged. She practiced repairing some of them before handing them over to Plutt and found that they fetched more ration cards once she’d worked on them. Rey even learned to pilot smaller crafts on the rare opportunity Plutt let her do a trade run. 

Years of constant exercise had made Rey’s body strong. Fighting off the dangers of the desert shaped her into a fierce, if unpolished, fighter. She’d even adopted a dog she’d found wandering the market. BB, as she dubbed him, helped to combat some of her loneliness. It wasn’t a glamorous life and it wasn’t an easy one, but it was hers. 

Rey’s first bleed came in the middle of a scavenge. She’d overheard some of the merchant’s wives in the market talking about women’s troubles, but had never expected to get hers so early. Rey knew very little about how long the bleeding would last, why it happened, or why her stomach ached so. She’d been too young when her mother passed for her to have already learned such things. Rey did not ask anyone in Jakku what to do. There was no one to ask. She simply adapted and eventually her monthlies became mundane. 

Adapting to the other aspects of adolescence was harder. She grew somewhat taller and her lanky shape rounded out somewhat, in the hips and chest. She would never have the lush figures of the women in the magazines she sometimes spotted people at the outpost reading, but she was no longer a child anymore. Rey sometimes gazed at her reflection in the shiny metal of a ship part or the back of a spoon. She studied the way her face had changed. She thought she might be pretty. She wondered if that even mattered. 

When Rey went to the market, she drew eyes in a way she never had before. Although she sometimes liked the attention-- stealing her first kiss with a blonde-haired boy traveling through with one of the caravans-- she wasn’t blind to the danger this transformation posed. Rey knew how to defend herself, but she started carrying an extra blade on her person and reinforced the locks on her doors. She loved BB, but she wished the dog were larger and a bit more intimidating. Being a woman in the desert was somehow scarier than being a child in the desert had been. For the first time in a long time, Rey let herself think of her parents. She longed for her mother. Navigating all of this would be so much easier with her around. 

Rey didn’t let the sadness linger. She couldn’t tolerate any weakness within herself. Not if she wanted to survive. Sometimes at night, she dreamed about getting off of this forsaken desert planet. About seeking out the lush green forests of her homeworld. Or setting course for somewhere new entirely. Finding love and adventure and happiness like her parents once had. 

But when daylight crept through the window, those dreams fizzled away like water evaporating under the desert sun. Rey had not been meant for Jakku, but it had claimed her all the same. She could make the best of her time here, but she knew she would never make it off of Jakku alive. 

  
Or she had known that. Before she’d met  _ him. _

\---

It was on the first night of Sauin when Rey’s life changed once again. Most planets in the galaxy celebrated the holiday, although they called it by other names. Sauin marked the beginning of the Harvest and the ushering in of the Darker Half of the year. It was the night the veil between realms was thinnest, when monsters and fey folk alike were most likely to roam the mortal plane. Protecting oneself became more important than ever during this time. 

__

Rey’s mother had once planted a rowan tree in their yard to protect against the fey. It was one of the few things about her home planet that Rey remembered. Common belief held that rowan trees were sacred to the fey and that they wouldn’t play tricks on those who planted them. The climate on Jakku was too arid for rowan trees, but Rey sometimes woke with the bitter taste of the red berries on her tongue. 

__

Primrose, St. John’s Wort, red verbena; none of the other earthen protections against the fey would grow on this planet either. Instead, the people of Jakku sprinkled salt across their windowsills and hung bells above their doors. Many people, Rey included, wore iron jewelry or carried iron blades. Rey touched the iron pendant on her neck reflexively as she weaved through market stalls. 

__

She had delivered her last collection of the week to Plutt and was on her way home for the night. She flipped through her ration cards, frowning, before slipping them back in her pocket. Plutt had been getting stingier that past few years, lowering his prices to increase his own profits. There was nothing Rey or the other scavengers could do about it, however. They were too afraid to sell to anyone else. 

__

The distant sounds of laughter floated to her on the breeze. Couples and groups of young women pushed past her on their way to the square. Jakku wasn’t a friendly town, but everyone liked a holiday. Most people, anyway. Rey pulled her jacket tighter around her and walked faster. The last time she’d gone to a Sauin festival, it had been on her own planet. The one on Jakku was not dissimilar to what Rey remembered, except that it was far wilder. Festivities went from sundown to sunrise. Bonfires raged across the planet, meant to cleanse and protect. People painted their faces to ward off evil spirits then drank, danced, and feasted throughout the night. 

__

The whole thing made her Rey uneasy. Sauin was a dangerous time. Unlike many of the revelers out tonight, Rey intended to keep her wits about her. She still set up a small altar to honor the dead, namely her parents, but that was as far as her celebrating went. In a hurry to leave the sounds of merriment behind, Rey took a shortcut on her way out of the city; straying from the firelight and artificial lamps illuminating the city center. Crossing through the alleys on the back end of town, Rey had only the moonlight to guide her. She could barely see where she was going, relying only on muscle memory to carry her toward her ship. 

__

Rey did not see the figure standing in front of her until she crashed into him. “My apologies,” she said, pulling her shoulders into her body to make herself look smaller. “I didn’t see you there.” It was an instinct she’d developed quickly from living on her own.  _ Don’t be obtrusive. Don’t be noticed. Get in quick, get out quicker.  _ Rey’s fighting skills were self-defense based: intended to protect her from attackers, not support her in starting fights. 

__

She couldn’t see much of the man she’d run into. Only that he was broad-shouldered and towered over Rey. She had to look up to meet his dark eyes, the only visible part of him in the dim glow of the moon. Rey wondered if he’d take offense to their collision. She had been walking fairly fast. Instead, the man said. “You are not enjoying the festivities?” His deep voice rolled like thunder through her. 

__

“What do you mean?” Rey asked, unsure where the question had come from. The man took a step closer. Rey took a step back. 

__

“You are alone in a dark alley instead of dancing by a bonfire,” the man answered. “Your face is unpainted and unmasked.” The hairs on the back of Rey’s neck stood up. “I assumed you did not care for the festival.” The eyes bored into her. 

__

“I don’t like dancing,” Rey said drily. The man laughed but there was little mirth in it. He stepped closer again but Rey’s legs wouldn’t move, no matter how much she willed them to. 

__

“Pretty young things shouldn’t wander on nights like this,” the voice warned. “You never know what could be waiting in the shadows.” Rey could see more of his face as he leaned closer. His skin was as fair as the moonlight itself, and his cheeks were sharp and prominent. He was beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. When he smiled, Rey saw his teeth were slightly sharpened. There was no mistaking it. She was speaking to a fey. Her fingers, unseen in the dark, inched toward her thigh. 

__

Rey watched in a trance as long, slender fingers reached for her face. She didn’t know what the fey intended to do, but she was glad she’d never find out. The fey’s fingers stopped just before her collar. A dark gaze examined her necklace. In his moment of hesitation, Rey pulled her iron knife from her holster. She didn’t remember moving, only the feeling of his blood on her hand afterward. The fey let out an unearthly howl, grasping at his face where she’d split the skin. He reached for her. Rey was already running. 

__

The fae were notoriously fast and notoriously deadly. She didn’t need to hear his footsteps behind her to know that she was being pursued. But Rey had the advantage. She was uninjured, and she knew Niima outpost like the back of her hand. She’d memorized every nook and cranny and shortcut. Rey risked a glance over her shoulder and saw the blur of a black cloak as she rounded a corner. Terror shot up her spine. Rey didn’t falter. She knew fear better than she knew her own shadow. 

__

Rey followed the sound of lyre strings to the end of an alley, at the mouth of which was a large group of people celebrating the festival. Rey wasn’t foolish enough to think they’d help her, but she could use them as a distraction. Rey burst into the crowd, ignoring the angry shouts of several people she’d careened through. Rey slowed her pace, trying to blend in with the revelers. Very few humans were a match for faerie kind, but large groups of humans could still kill a lone fae. The fae needed to be careful about pursuing her here.

__

Rey darted her eyes around, searching for a way out. He’d spot her the moment she stepped away from the group. Couples danced around Rey, their Sauin masks glowing like skulls in the firelight.  _ Perfect. _ Rey spotted a mask tied to the back of someone’s belt and carefully nicked it as she walked by. The woman it belonged to was too drunk to notice and Rey walked a bit further into the crowd before slipping it onto her own face and pulling her hair from its usual buns. 

__

More angry mutters echoed from behind her. The same primal feeling of danger she’d had earlier-- as if she were a rabbit being stalked by a wolf-- intensified. Rey spotted a man standing by himself on the edge of the dance circle and stumbled into him. He made a sound of surprise, steadying her with large, calloused hands. He looked down at Rey in surprise, his face warm and steady in the firelight. He wasn’t wearing a mask. “Are you alright?” the man asked. 

__

Rey wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to give the impression of a woman who’d had too many drinks. “I’m Rey,” she said, not needing to fake her breathlessness. “Dance with me…?”

__

“Finn,” the man said. He smiled hesitantly and pulled Rey onto the dance floor. “Are you alright?” He seemed sweet; too sweet for Jakku. She wondered if he could see her heart hammering in her throat. Rey ran her hand through the man’s close-cropped curls and giggled, aiming to look the part of a flirtatious village girl. As Finn spun her in his arms, waiting for an answer, Rey felt eyes burning on the back of her head and nearly stumbled. The feeling of being watched disappeared and Rey exhaled a harsh breath. The fey she’d attacked had moved on to search elsewhere. 

__

Rey stilled, stepping back from Finn’s arms.“ I feel much better now. Walk me to my speeder?” Finn nodded, looking bewildered and Rey clung to his arm as she guided him away from the group and toward the market where she’d locked up her ship. Pretending to be part of a happy couple would keep the fey’s attention off her. Soon, they’d left the party and Rey’s dangerous pursuer behind. 

__

As they approached Rey’s speeder, she dropped Finn’s arm. “Thank you,” she told him, blushing when she realized she’d forgotten to act drunk on the walk over. Well, it didn’t matter what this man thought of her. She’d likely never see him again. “Truly.” Rey moved to climb onto her ship, but a hand on her wrist stopped her. Finn glanced down at where their hands connected. Rey tensed for a fight, but all he said was “take care of yourself, Rey.” Rey nodded, climbing onto the speeder and racing for home. 

__

The adrenaline of the night was wearing off and exhaustion fell like a fog over her. Dread rose like bile at the back of her throat. Rey doubled the lines of salt on her window sills before going to sleep. It wasn’t until she was lying in bed that she realized the fey’s blood still stained her hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this work is mostly canon non-compliant and I also took some generous liberties with the fae/folklore elements of the story, so my apologies in advance to any hardcore lore-ists out there. I tried to still keep some of the important elements of the movies, even if they don't show up in the same ways there do in canon. I should warn you, Kylo is dark in this story, but not to a level I would consider extreme. (There won't be any dead dove tags in the future). Thank you for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains a bit of canon typical violence. nothing particularly graphic, but read with caution if necessary. I hope you enjoy <3

“I heard Plutt’s paying double for refractors this week” Poe said as Rey sorted through the ultium cores and piles of copper wires she'd dropped on their cafe table. “Apparently he got some big name client wanting a rush order."

"Refractors are to come by these days," Rey said. "But thanks for the heads up." She inspected a steering component skeptically. If she did some tinkering on it, she might be able to increase its value. Poe will still grinning at her. Rey raised an eyebrow at him in return, and he pulled something globe-like from his pocket and tossed it her way. it was a refractor. Rey glanced at him skeptically. “Consider it a birthday gift.”

“It’s not my birthday, Dameron,” Rey replied, and shoved it back at him. She knew what his aim was, but Rey didn’t accept charity. Not even from friends. Formerly an Order captain respected across the Galaxy, Poe’s arrogance had led to a dishonorable discharge and financial ruin. He’d settled on Jakku for reasons Rey still couldn’t parse and despite how much of a pain in the ass he was, he’d been a good friend to Rey since they’d met three years ago. 

“Come on, Rey,” Poe urged. He dragged a hand across his head, messing up his deliberately tousled hair. “You need this more than I do.” Although Poe occasionally took jobs as a scavenger, he had a string of wealthy lovers who supported him financially. He could easily be living it up on some luxury planet, but instead he was rotting in this dust bowl like the rest of them. Rey sometimes wondered if he just stuck around on Jakku to look out for her. The idea made her bristle.

“What I need,” Rey snapped, “is for you to butt out.” Poe was unphased, used to Rey’s occasional bursts of temper by now. She sighed. “I’m sorry. That was rude. I’m in a bad mood today.” It wasn’t a lie. She’d been on edge all day, still plagued by aftershocks of adrenaline. Rey was convinced an angry fae would pop up behind her any moment now.  The atmosphere of the outpost wasn’t helping settle her mood. Instead of the lazy contentedness that usually swallowed the city the morning after a festival, Niima was vibrating with mistrust and anxiety. Rey had seen several barred stalls, which was a bad sign. For a merchant in a place as harsh as Jakku, a day off could mean death.

“What’s up with everyone today?” Rey asked. She reached a hand down to pet BB, who dozed at their feet. “The whole Outpost is on edge.”

Poe looked suddenly serious, which Rey knew he hated to do. “You haven’t heard?” His tone made the hair on the back of Rey’s neck stand up.

“I’ve been out in the desert since the sun came up,” Rey replied. “What is it?”

“You know Safira, the glass seller?” Poe whispered. Rey leaned in to hear him over the rattle of carts rolling past. “Every single one of her mirrors was shattered last night.”

“Bizarre,” Rey agreed, relaxing a little, “but hardly worth this many hushed voices.” Poe shook his head and stood, gesturing for Rey to follow him. Rey did, whistling for BB to accompany them. Poe took her straight to the back of the market, where the rows of stalls with fraying overhangs faded into squat, rusted storefronts. The normal flow of foot traffic had slowed here, congealing around one store in particular: Safira’s. 

Poe pushed through the murmuring crowd and Rey followed quietly behind him. At her heels, BB growled and then sat back on his haunches, refusing to follow her any further. When they broke through into the store, Rey saw what had caused the commotion. The floor of Safira’s store had rotted straight through, revealing a patch of dirt beneath it that was at least six feet across. Growing in a circle around that dirt, their white faces grim and unmistakable, were dozens of mushrooms. 

“A fairy ring,” Poe whispered to Rey, who could barely hear him over the ringing in her ears. “Poor Safira. No one knows what it means, but it can’t be good.”

But Rey knew exactly what it meant. It was a message; and not for Safira. 

\---

When Rey returned home that night, she immediately unloaded BB and the supplies she’d bought at the market from her sidecar. She’d burned what little was left of her income for the month on iron and verbena oil, but it was a necessary choice. She’d just have to skip a few meals this week to account for the difference. Rey set to work immediately, reinforcing the warding on her house and putting up extra protection around the door and windows with the little sunlight she had left. 

The night noises of the desert-- the howl of the wind and distant chittering of unknown creatures-- usually comforted Rey. Today, they only set her on edge. Every distant thump or whine could be a fae coming to kill her. Or worse. Sprites and brownies might pray pranks on the unsuspecting and gullible, but the Unseelie were a far more vicious sort. People unlucky enough to cross them usually lived to regret it, if they lived at all. 

Rey had no delusions that perhaps the male she’d encountered last night had cut his losses and moved on. Unseelie fae were arrogant, vengeful, and above all, vain. He would hunt for Rey until the moment he found her, which given the size of the outpost, wouldn’t be long. All Rey could do was prepare. She’d considered asking someone-- Poe, for example-- to shelter her. The more people she had on her side, the better her odds. But the impulse had been banished from her mind almost immediately. She refused to put the few friends she had at risk. Even if it sealed her fate.

So Rey finished her preparations. She prayed to every deity she could think of. She watched the last of the sunset. She laid in bed and wished for her mother. Somewhere in between grief and the echo of love, Rey drifted into oblivion. 

The growl was what woke her. Rey could feel it, rumbling along her spine. BB had abandoned his favorite sleeping spot against Rey’s chest and was standing at the foot of her bed, snarling into the darkness. When she reached for him, Rey could feel the heat of his breath against her suddenly frigid skin. “BB…” she breathed. Her other hand reached beneath her pillow and grasped the hilt of a silver knife. Rey unsheathed it, trembling. 

She followed the yellow line of BB’s gaze to the window. Peering at her through the thickly pained glass was the wan and vicious face of the fae from the market. A thin, angry red line cut it’s way from his forehead down to his neck, intersecting his right eye. He’d healed much faster than a human would, but Rey could tell already it was going to scar. 

A scream rose and died in Rey’s throat. She gripped the knife so hard she could see the ridges of her knuckle bones coiled beneath her skin. 'He can't come in' she reminded herself. It soothed her very little. __ In the low light of the moon outside, Rey could see the thick line of salt that glimmered like tiny stars along her window sill. Her small home, only one room and a bath chamber, was its own frigid galaxy. Rey felt like she’d been set adrift. She was racing toward a sun that was about to swallow her. 

Rey stared at the fae again. Even with the wound she'd inflicted, this male was beautiful. The scar may have even enhanced his beauty. It made him look like the predator he was. That was one of the most dangerous things about the Unseelie: their beauty was disarming. Already Rey could feel her grip on the weapon slackening. She wondered if he noticed how threadbare her nightshirt was. Or the curve of her hips beneath it.  _ I want to open the door.  _

BB’s yowling tore Rey from her trance. She was horrified to discover that she’d actually taken a step forward. Why had that sudden urge to let him in possessed her? Had the fae compelled her? It couldn’t be. The ability to influence others' minds was incredibly rare among fae kind. Those who possessed it held positions of power and esteem. The creature outside couldn’t possess such an ability. And yet…  _ Open the door. _

The impulse grew stronger with every passing moment. Rey looked down at BB: his wide eyes and foaming mouth. She wished she had given him to Poe to watch over. But she hadn’t expected her pursuer to find her so soon. Nor had she expected him to be able to put thoughts inside her head. Rey quietly filled his water and food bowls. Then knelt and held his trembling body in her arms. “I love you,” she told him. “You’re all I have.” Maybe if she went out there, he wouldn’t hurt BB. Poe would come looking for her in a few days and rescue BB. Rey would be the only one who had to suffer. 

Not that Rey intended to die-- she would fight with all she had, but--  _ open the door, open the door, open the door _ . Rey opened the door. It was a foregone conclusion. She stepped outside and shut the door quickly, before BB could follow her. Her face was damp with tears where she’d pressed it against his side. 

The compulsion, which had been like a drum pounding in her head, suddenly melted away. Rey staggered back as a blur of dark lunged for her. His hand wrapped around Rey’s throat, pressing her against the stucco. Rey’s fingers scrambled to pull herself free with little success. The seconds dragged by, little eternities, until as suddenly as he had come, the hand around her throat fell away with a hiss. Gasping for breath, Rey stared at where her necklace had branded a line her attacker's skin.  Coughing violently, she scrambled for the blade in her pocket and pointed it at him. The fae only laughed.  _ Drop the knife.  _ The compulsion slammed into her like a fist to the face. 

Rey dropped the knife. 

He was staring at her as he thought it, his eyes angry and endless. She could feel him rooting around inside her head, a horrible vibration that started at the base of her neck then ripped through her like a storm. Rey sank to her knees, badly shaken. Her head pounded and her vision turned white around the edges. Rey had heard tales of fae who had the power to look inside a human mind, but she’d never believed them. But how could she deny it when the fae looked at her and said “you're so lonely…” His voice was even deeper than she’d remembered. 

Rey flinched, unsure what game this creature was about to play before slaughtering her. The fae continued. “At night, you’re desperate to sleep, you imagine an ocean. I see it -- I see the island where you came from. You’re afraid you’ll never get back.” There was a morbid kind of pity on his face. Like a child watching a spider he'd just stomped on writhe in the sun. “A little orphan, adrift in the sand.” He grasped a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back. "Look at me, little scavenger. Look what you did to me," she could hear the rage now, bubbling up to the surface." She felt him probing her mind again. 

“Stop,” Rey gasped. The terror of letting this fae back into her head rose through her like a tidal wave. She may not prevent him from killing her, but she would die with her mind her own. Something stirred inside her. The hand kept coming. “Don’t touch me!” Rey shouted, and it was like opening a door inside herself. She could see the fae's mind before her. All she had to do was reach... 

A rush of sensation bombarded Rey. It was the opposite of what she’d felt before, when he’d pulled things out of her mind. Now, it felt like things were rushing in. A high-speed crash of something _other_ inside her skull. **A dark haired boy with a sword poised above his throat. A mother’s arms. A crown** **.** “You,” Rey gasped, “you're afraid... that you will never be as strong as... your father.” 

**A name** _.  _ “Kylo.  It was like she’d struck him. 

Kylo stumbled back from her, eyes wide. Just for a moment, he looked almost human. He looked afraid. This time when he strode toward her, Rey didn’t have time to scream. There was just his hand moving toward her forehead and when his palm pressed against her, his power slammed into her and everything went black. It should have been the end. 

But Rey awoke. 

It was with a pounding headache and sand in her mouth, but she was alive. The sun was high and blistering in the sky. Kylo was gone. Rey grasped her iron blade from where it had fallen in the sand. When she opened the door, she saw the BB had clawed deep marks in the base of it. He threw himself with relief into Rey’s arms and she stroked his soft body. Both of them were trembling. 

_ Kylo.  _ The name pulled at her like a candle too close to the drapery. Like a match striking in a room full of gasoline. Rey attempted to sort through the flashes of memories she’d seen in Kylo’s head. None of them made sense. Like reading a book in a language you didn’t speak. But one kept replaying over and over again.  _ A crown. A crown. A crown.  _ She knew the name Kylo. As in Kylo Ren. As in King of the Unseelie court. 

As Rey knelt over her washbasin, trying not to contain her nausea, her comlink buzzed on the table. It rang several times before a voicemail began to play. "Rey!" Poe's excited voice echoed through the house. "You have to meet me in the square right now. There are Stormtroopers at the outpost." 'Stormtroopers' Rey remembered dazedly, were the Empire's faerie hunters. She dropped her down again and began to hurl.   



End file.
